HE SIMPLY IGNORES THE COURT ORDER

I’ve been divorced for three years now but I’m still not really free of my ex-husband. He refuses to comply with the court’s decision when we divorced.

We owned a house together which he refuses to sell and he also needs to sign over two cars to me which he hasn’t done. He’s damaged the cars while using them and refuses to agree to the rest of the divorce order.

I’ve consulted with lawyers, but most of them just take your money and you get no results. The rest are just way too expensive.

I don’t know what to do anymore. I have a son of 27 who’s in a wheelchair due to a car accident, as well as a son of 20. Juanita, email

What needs to be done is for an attorney to write a letter to your ex-husband warning him that he’ll be in contempt of court if he doesn’t abide by the court order.

If he then still doesn’t do what he’s supposed to, the matter will have to go back to court and he may well eventually find himself facing a prison sentence.

If an attorney takes your money and does nothing to advance your case, you have every right to lodge a complaint with the law society in the province where that attorney practices. Action can be taken against him or her if they can’t explain themselves.

If money is a problem, you can approach the attorneys at Legal Aid South Africa or at a local law clinic – most universities have a legal aid clinic manned by staff in the law department.

‘Fires can’t be made with dead embers . . . Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens effort and turns even labour into pleasant tasks’ – AMERICAN AUTHOR JAMES BALDWIN